Home for the Holidays
by Fullmetal-Tora
Summary: A year ago, Mello had been sure neither he nor Matt would survive the next few months. And he'd never have thought they'd both be bickering over the condition of the rumpled Christmas tree in their living room. But here they were, after all. Matt/Mello


**AN: Merry Christmas, everyone! Okay, so maybe it's a day late technically, but I did _write_ it on Christmas. ^^; Anywho, I apologize in advance for any incoherency as I wrote this in little snippets while in the car to and from Palm Springs and also during the crazy Bulgarian Christmas party I was there for... **

**Oh, and as a note, this is written with the backstory to Unbreakable in mind, so it's post-Death Note, slightly AU as to the fact that Matt and Mello obviously didn't die (I'm not in denial! What gave you that idea?). So Merry Christmas, and enjoy!  
**

* * *

A gust of icy wind blasted into the apartment as the door swung open and a dripping blonde slipped through, quickly slamming the door shut behind him. He stood there for a minute, slowly generating a puddle in the tiny foyer and faintly smelling of wet fur and leather, reminiscent perhaps of an animal having been rolling in mud.

Matt didn't voice the fleeting thought, however, as he did quite enjoy having all of his limbs in their proper places, and merely grinned ridiculously widely up at his rain-soaked friend in the doorway.

Mello blinked, ignoring Matt's idiotic smile, and staring past him into the corner where, on an upturned medium-sized cardboard box covered in some sort of fuzzy white tablecloth (possibly trying to resemble snow), precariously perched something greenish gray and grotesquely trussed up in garland.

"What the fuck is that?"

Matt was unperturbed by Mello's exceptional eloquence on the matter. His grin, impossibly, grew even wider. "That's our Christmas tree, of course!" he beamed. "Merry Christmas, Mel!"

Mello was unimpressed, pursing his lips slightly and wrinkling his nose in disgust as he tossed off his wet jacket and boots.

"Did you drag that out of somebody's dumpster?" he scoffed. "It looks diseased. Get it out of here."

At this, Matt's face fell conspicuously, grin melting into indignant horror. "Mello! No!"

Mello was already walking past the redhead without another glance at the hapless tree in question and intent on the inviting notion of steaming clean hot water, when he suddenly encountered a flustered Matt impeding his way to that goal.

"Come _on_, Mel! I know you would have gotten mad if I spent too much money on it so I got the last one." His emerald eyes were huge and pleading. "It's Christmas day and everything, and it was the very last one, and I practically got it for _free_! C'mon, Mel, please?"

Mello eyed the scraggly evergreen dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

"It's Christmas!" Matt half-wailed beside him. "We didn't exactly get one last year and it's not in the way or anything!"

The blonde sighed. "Fine. Just… fix it up a bit, will you?" He waved a damp gloved hand at the bent over plant huddled in the corner of the rather untidy living room. "It looks like it's dying. Not exactly festive."

Matt's eyes widened gleefully. "Sweet!" He tugged his goggles down from the top of his head over his eyes, businesslike. "I'll go out and get some ornaments!" In a flurry of stripes and fur, the redhead had grabbed his keys, pecked Mello on the cheek, and scurried out the door humming _Deck the Halls_ a bit off key.

The blonde smiled softly after him, going over to the corner to straighten up the wilting tree a little, then continued on his mission for a hot shower and some nice conditioner to fix the terrors the rain was doing to his hair.

About an hour later, when Mello finally convinced himself he needed to leave the pleasant warmth and face the poorly heated apartment again, he found that turning off the water allowed the full brunt of something very much resembling cheery holiday music to drift to his ears. Shaking his head a little in laughter and then toweling off quickly, the blonde made his way to his side of the closet in their bedroom and slipped on some black jeans and a close-fitting cashmere turtleneck. It was red. He glanced in the mirror and smiled approvingly. Very festive.

Going out into the living room, he encountered Matt practically dancing around the tree, still half-humming, half-mumbling an assortment of Christmas carols and grinning from ear to ear. He jumped when Mello chuckled, turning around to direct the full force of his beaming toward the blonde and scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"So you managed to bring the poor bastard back to life," Mello smirked. "Congrats."

Matt bounced happily, eyeing the blonde's rare show of color appreciatively. Mello sprawled out on the faded black couch facing him and waved a hand imperiously. "Well, continue."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "At least you seem a _bit _more ethusiastic now, Mr. Scrooge."

Mello rolled his eyes. "Shut up, dipshit, and decorate your bush before it falls apart."

Matt puffed his cheeks out childishly. "Hey, I'm doing my best with what I've got considering I live with a stingy tightass who wouldn't even agree to buy a proper tree because he'd rather spend the cash on a new flamethrower."

Mello laughed softly, a deep growl in his throat. "Shut it and get back to work before I light your precious bush with said flamethrower."

Matt looked sulky but Mello's continued quiet chuckling assured him that Mr. Christmas Tree was not in fact in any danger and he resumed his work with dilligence, now focusing on applying a string of colorful Christmas lights.

Mello yawned, reclining back on the cushions lazily and enjoying the view with a faint smile. It had been almost a year now... Matt had mentioned not having a tree last Christmas...

Mello flinched inwardly. It had only been a year; so short a time, yet it seemed an eternity. A somehow pleasant eternity. The Kira case over, both of them alive, Matt here with him.

And it was Christmas. Mello smiled, half-closed eyes following Matt's bouncing striped form lazily as he yawned again.

He was tired, but it was not unpleasant. Matt was being his usual idiotic self, and he didn't even have a limp anymore as evidence of his injuries. A year ago, the blonde would have staked everything he owned to bet at least one of them wouldn't survive the next few months. He'd have scoffed at anyone telling him they'd both be here bickering over the condition of a slightly rumpled evergreen in the living room they still shared. In the home they had been able to come back to.

Home for the holidays.

Mello laughed under his breath. Oh God, he was getting sentimental. Too much Ghirardelli peppermint squares and 'holiday spice' hot chocolate probably. That stuff was fucking addicting. Jesus, he was tired. And by the smell of it, Matt seemed to be making cookies. Or something else that smelled delicious. Mello yawned again, drifting off to the sound of _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, _stylistically rendered by Matt into odd little grunts and mumbles whenever he forgot the words.

_"Oh, come off it, Mello," Matt whispered in exasperation, tugging ur__gen__tly at his friend's sleeve and checking over his shoulder. "You know Roger's not gonna be happy if he hears--"_

_The little blonde grinned impishly, cutting him off with a regal air. "But it's going to be the most hilarious thing ever when that little albino cretin gets coal on Christmas instead of that abysmal model train set he's been whining about all month!"_

_Matt looked conflicted. "C'mon, Mel, please, we're gonna get in trouble__,__ and that's really not very nice and all..."_

_Mello's diabolical chuckling proved he was very much aware of the fact it wasn't nice. Matt trailed behind him looking terrified as the scrawny older boy skittered around the main common room, replacing Near's present with an identically wrapped box of his own creation and filching the contents of the younger boy's white stocking to fill it instead with little bits of coal. It was absolutely ingenious. He couldn't _wait _to see Near's face in the morning. _

_"Mel, Santa will be mad..."_

_The blonde scoffed. "I don't believe in Santa. He's a pagan icon and the whole concept is ridiculous."_

_Matt looked doubtful, furrowing his tiny red brows in thought. "But, really, that's just..."_

_Mello grinned. "I'm telling you, Matt, it's all in good fun. Besides, you like candy canes right?" He tossed the ones he'd taken from Near at his friend and Matt caugh__ them__t, emerald eyes wide and guilty._

_The blonde laughed in a maniacal whisper. "This'll be bloody _brilliant!"

_Matt looked about to cry._

_Needless to say, to both Mello's and Matt's __dismay__ the next __morning__, Near opened his single gift from the House to a small chorus of __the __shocked and pitying gasps __of__ the few children who happened to be paying attention to him, only to annouce he did not believe in Santa Claus and was certain this was merely a mistake, though his deep black eyes met Mello's in a flicker of almost-annoyance. _

_Mello seethed, Roger threatened a halt to the winter holiday unless everything was returned to its rightful owner, the train set turned up covered in soot by the fireplace, and Near gave his coal to Linda to draw with. _

_All in all, it was a rather disappointing Christmas for a certain blue-eyed 10 year old and a devastating one for the new redheaded boy at Wammy's. He was too guilty to eat his ca__n__dy canes and it turned out Santa really didn't exist, which probably also meant the Great Pumpkin didn't. Life was really too cruel. _

_Mello remembered slipping beneath the covers with his younger roomate and slipping him some mint-flavored chocolate to make him feel better. Later he said he didn't remember and sometimes he sleepwalked and crap, y'know, and it really was freaking cold. _

_Matt never missed Santa again._

— — —

"Mel?"

"Mmph..." He burrowed further into the warmth of the cushion. It smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. It wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Mello? I'm done, wanna see?" Matt's grin fully carried through his voice as he shook the blonde's shoulder. Shook, not stroked the soft material of his sweater. Though it really was soft...

Mello blinked, yawning tremendously and sat up, blinking slowly. One side of his hair was rumpled and sticking out in odd angles. Matt giggled.

"Are you _petting_ my shirt, you freak?" Mello groused, scratching his neck and attempting to smooth the damage caused by wet hair drying splayed out against the couch cushions.

Matt turned a little pink around the ears. "It was soft, okay? I just wanted to touch it..."

Mello raised an eyebrow, though the skeptical effect was rather impaired by the yawn he was attempting to stifle. "You gave it to me, you twit. For my birthday. Two weeks ago, remember? You develop a sudden mental condition or something?"

"No!" Matt protested defensively. "I know I did, you just hadn't worn it yet and I really wanted to just...you know..."

Mello smirked. "Come onto me while I'm wearing it?"

Matt's ears attempted camaflouging into his hair. "Quit being a pervert on Christmas, man. Weren't you all holy and shit?"

Mello sniffed, now fully awake. "Shut up. Where are the cookies?"

"Cookies?"

"Or whatever you were making."

Matt grinned hugely. "Brownies," he announced triumphantly.

Mello's eyes lit up without his permission. Matt noticed, his grin expanding until it seemed his lips should hurt.

The blonde looked up, somehow managing to tear his eyes off that face to glance past him at the Christmas tree. And it really did look like a Christmas tree now.

Matt had somehow tied the bent trunk to their broomstick, keeping the flaccid tree propped up inconspicuously from behind so that the poor thing didn't double over on itself like before. It was now wrapped up in a string of colored lights which Matt had somehow wired to flash in rather entertaining patterns, and its boughs were scattered here and there with cheap ornaments of birds and reindeer and other festive crap--overall a marginally more pleasant sight from the wilting shrub before. The whole thing was topped off, quite literally, by a cheesy, gold-foil star and some bells.

Mello had to smile. "Good job, Matt."

The auburn-haired boy beamed, pulling his friend up off the couch with a downright jovial "Merry Christmas!" and a light jingling noise.

Mello blinked, unsure whether to be amused or appalled by the tiny bells the younger boy had secured to the side straps of the goggles perched on top of his head. Rolling his eyes, the blonde followed Matt into the kitchen with a soft huff of "Bah, humbug," which for some reason only made Matt giggle more.

A bit of microwaved turkey, some of the usual banter and bickering, and half a pan of brownies later found them together on the couch again, the tree's new lights bathing the place in a pleasant dancing glow.

Matt was thumbing at some new game he'd gotten his DS for Christmas. Mello watched from his end of the couch, feet propped up leisurely on the coffee table and a large piece of peppermint chocolate bark dangling by a corner from his lips.

It was almost midnight, he realized with a small pang. The rain drummed persistently on the roof, mingling with the sound of Matt's touch on the keys of the handheld.

He'd come home late, and Christmas was almost over. Mello eyed the new Bible Matt had gotten him, engraved with his name in Cyrillic script, and the small mountain of assorted expensive chocolates.

So much for agreeing not to really get each other anything. Matt did seem to be enjoying his new Zelda something-or-other DS skin, at least.

As if on cue, the redhead whooped loudly, shouting some weird names triumphantly. Mello thought he caught the word "pwned."

Matt suddenly draped an arm around his neck, dragging him close for a victorious hug. "I just used the most awesome invulnerability cheat of _awesome!_" he announced, exultant.

Mello rolled his eyes, carefully extricating himself from the sloppy embrace. "Good for you, O Great Game-master."

Matt grinned and returned to his console, not really noticing Mello get up, looking perhaps a little thoughtful and a little nostalgic.

The redhead had beaten his current level by the time the blonde returned, and he looked up at Mello curiously. "It's late, isn't it?" He glanced at the clock. "You've been out on that case practically all week without rest. You must be exhausted," he reasoned understandingly. "I don't mind if you go to bed before me."

He turned the game off, smiling up at his friend.

Mello shrugged. "In a bit."

Matt shrugged back. "'K." He reached to pick up his game again. The blonde caught his wrist, gently, then turned his palm up.

Matt looked at him funny. Mello smiled.

Not smirked or sneered or any of his usual variations. Matt's expression was a strange cross of confused and impressed.

Pulling a small, rectangular piece of thin plastic from his pocket, the blonde placed it face down in his best friend's hand before letting him go.

"Merry Christmas, Matt."

The younger boy blinked, noting the long-past date scribbled on the back in one of the corners, and flipped the paper over slowly.

His goggles fogged and he pushed them to his forehead. He blinked again. There were never any tears. Certainly not.

Mello was reaching a hand down to him, inviting. It was pale, calloused but soft when he took it, warm. He let the blonde pull him up, and without thinking Matt embraced him, taking the slim, warm, _living_ body into his arms.

He held him there a long time, holding on perhaps a little tightly. One hand reached up to stroke the side of Mello's face, running a thumb gently over the web of scars, almost admiring, almost possessive, soft and protective.

"Thank you, Mihael," he whispered in his ear, and Mello rested his chin against Matt's shoulder, closing his eyes.

His name, the name written on his new Bible, the name he shouldn't be so afraid to use again. Once in a while, maybe. When Matt said it.

— — —

They sat together, side by side on the edge of the bed. It was well past midnight. Matt was still holding it in his hands as if the photograph paper were made of the thinnest crystal.

Beside him, Mello smirked and mumbled, "I had kind of a tough time getting that back from Mr. Fucking Albino Wonder, Matty. Don't lose it."

The redhead leaned against Mello's side, shaking his head slowly. "'Course not. But…are you sure… y'know?"

Mello closed his eyes, resting his cheek against Matt's hair.

"I'm sure. It's all yours."

Matt was glad the blonde wasn't looking. He sniffled inconspicuously, staring down at probably the only photograph that existed of Mello.

"It's…over... It's over, Mel."

"Yeah."

"We made it."

"Of course."

"We won."

"Damn straight."

"Yeah…" Matt pulled the blonde into his arms again, tugging the blanket up around them. Over. They were done, mostly in one piece, and it was over. Mello didn't have to fight anymore. He didn't have to worry anymore. He didn't have to beat Near anymore.

He was home now. Home with him.

"Hey, Mello?"

A half asleep "Hmm…?" floated over from somewhere beneath the blankets.

Matt smiled, pressing his lips to the soft golden hair tickling his throat.

"Merry Christmas."

"You… too…" The exhausted blonde was asleep by the last syllable, but smiling.

Matt closed his eyes as well, breathing in the scent of chocolate with a faint hint of peppermint tonight. "Glad you're home."

* * *

**Hope that was satisfactory to tide some of you over until the next udate to Unbreakable... ^^; Hitoshi and I really are working on it, I promise. **

**Oh, and this is kind of supposed to be the Christmas before Unbreakable starts, though their relationship is slightly more affectionate here. I was going to keep it Unbreakable canon, but then I couldn't resist M&M cuteness (Who can?). But yes, you may still think of it that way. ; ) **

**See you guys next year! --Tora  
**


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